This invention relates to an automotive radar alignment method and system.
There are two common methods to align automotive or vehicle radar units in an original equipment manufacturer plant. First is a passive alignment on an optical base. Second is an active alignment method, wherein the radar proves if it is in alignment. For the second method, one target is used, namely a corner reflector. For this approach, mounting tolerances of the radar sensor unit and the mirror directly influence the result of the measurement.
Another method includes a mirror with three tilt angles that are provided in sequence. These three angle positions are used to determine the vertical misalignment angle of the radar. Therefore, three separate measurements are needed. Further, the radar sensing unit mounting position or location on the vehicle needs to be precisely known. Thus, the method is error prone when dealing with variants.